SUMMARY: A legal aid group, the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project (FIRRP), has sued to block the U.S. government from deporting 12 Honduran children, citing “credible” information about imminent removal plans. This lawsuit amends a recent case that temporarily halted the deportation of Guatemalan migrant children. FIRRP fears these actions violate the children’s rights to seek protection in the U.S. The Trump administration previously attempted to deport Guatemalan children, prompting legal challenges and a federal judge’s intervention. The lawsuit demands these children access immigration judges, legal counsel, and placement in settings best for their welfare.

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SUMMARY: Florida has opened its second migrant detention center, the “Deportation Depot,” at Baker Correctional Institution near Jacksonville, holding 117 detainees with capacity for up to 1,500. This expansion follows a federal appeals court’s decision to keep the first facility, “Alligator Alcatraz,” operational despite legal challenges. Governor Ron DeSantis praised both centers as key to his immigration enforcement agenda, with plans for a third facility underway. Staffed by the National Guard and funded by a $600 million federal grant, the new site aims to address what DeSantis calls an immigration crisis. Critics warn of overcrowding and poor conditions, echoing concerns from the Everglades facility.

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SUMMARY: María Alejandra Rubio, separated from her 8-year-old son during U.S. deportation proceedings, is among Venezuelan mothers appealing to U.S. First Lady Melania Trump to reunite families split by immigration policies. Rubio expected to return to Venezuela with her son but was deported alone; her son remains in Georgia with a family friend. The group, supported by Venezuela’s government, sent a letter urging Trump to halt child-parent separations and deport families together. Venezuela has accepted over 10,000 deportees this year after President Maduro ended his refusal to accept U.S. deportees. The U.S. stresses careful assessment before returning unaccompanied minors.

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